THE WONDER OF ELECTRICITY

by Hy Ruchlis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1965

A companion to similar titles on heat and light by the same author, this book seems less suitable to this age group than the previous books. The subject matter is far more sophisticated and Mr. Ruchlis assumes an unreasonable amount of prior knowledge, understanding and ability on the part of his young readers. While developing, on a broad scale, the electrical nature of all matter and anticipating future developments, he neglects to give any meaningful introductions to the essential rudiments of chemistry or electricity. Acids, bases and salts are presented without any explanation; ions, critical to the understanding of this subject, are defined merely as ""charged molecular fragments."" The concept of voltage is treated superficially. The writing is clear and concise but lacks the teaching clarity of Raymond Yates' Boy and Battery (1959) or John M. Kennedy's Making electricity Work (1959). There are sections on batteries, electromagnets and radio, but the basic fault of the book is revealed in a typically never-developed statement such as: ""Actually anyone who is interested and wishes to take the time can learn to understand and work with the complex circuitry of modern radio sets.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION